Human Eyes And Human Ends
by Rudeka and Grim Reaper
Summary: Slightly AU . Takes place six months after the show. Slightly OOC. My first multi chapter. Wounds still bleed but go ignored. The life of their eyes is not restored. Death is coming. They are trapped. Solve the puzzle,Yugi. For us,solve the stupid puzzle.
1. Chapter 1

Samantha Patrycks was an amateur writer,twelve years of age.

Her black hair was cut so short to the point of crewcut,her skin tanned to the shade of a potato,her lips full and pink.

Every light in her windowless room had been shut off. Every one except the one lit up like the pale moon. Her desk top computer that sat on her wood desk in the middle of her room.

So,she flocked to it like it was the light of hope almost.

In front of her lonely desk was a black leather recliner. The blinding white light of her computer made the chair appear also slathered in black ink.

When she placed herself comfortably in front of her computer, she began to weigh her options.

Comfort or distractions?

Comfort would be better in the long run. She could talk about it with someone like it was no big deal when she was really breaking inside.

But who would she ask? She had no friends.

Her Grandmother,maybe?

Oh wait,she died a year ago.

Funny how you only need them when they're already gone.

The usual heat from the usual burning sun on the usual early morning schedule reminded young Yugi Mouto that this was going to be the most unusual of days.

His grandfather had told him once that life is like an old attic. Only changes when you make it change,mysterious, creepy,dusty,but utterly full of surprises.

Even if he didn't know it at the time,those words were the drive that got him through the bad days.

Every morning, he awoke with a chill of excitement,a racing heart and faith that today would be an adventure even if it was the same routine day after day,the king of games never gave up hope.

"Yes,"he told himself "Today was going to be splendid." Even if he didn't really believe that at the time.

On this Monday morning, the road was taken over by a stampede of humans,none of which looked happy.

Yugi understood why.

What with this heat in the middle of a thick crowd,even Yugi's mood was becoming foul.

As you may have guessed,stampedes were never good news for midgets.

Loose his footing for one instant and he immediately gets swept away by the crowd.

But seriously, men return to their jobs,children to their schools,wives to their houses,dogs to their kennels.

Sheesh,who profits from school days?

But not to worry. After much hard work,Yugi triumphed and made it to the school grounds.

Now that's the power of determination and positive thinking!

"Man!" whined Joey Wheeler as he fanned himself with his hand" It is hot out here! Makes me wish for that stormy weather back."

Tristan, who had his back up against a tree,enjoying the shade,just chuckled at his childhood friend.

"Not even this could make me wish for that back,I mean that was some pretty intense storming! I didn't think we would make it hope alive!"

"I don't care what weather it is!"Sitting on a nearby bench was a frantic Tea Gardener,slapping the air away with swift movements "We could be up to our armpits in snow for all I care! Just get rid of these dang mosquito-!AAAK!".

Tea swung,striking her forearm,but groaned irritably in failure and massaged the arm she victimized.

Looks like all those self defense classes backfired.

Tristan and Joey laughed. The two boys began to whisper to one another in secrecy. "Why do they only seem to bite her?" One asked the other"Think its her weird perfume?".

And just like that,The two boys received a history textbook to the head.

"What if its your weird perfume that's scaring them off? If I was a mosquito, I'd stay far away from you."

"And in the end,who wins?" Tristan asked"Face it,Tea. You envy our strong masculine scent-AAAK!" And with that,the two of them received a rather bulky biology book to the face,nocking them flat on the floor with a heavy thud.

Tea facepalmed immediately afterwards. "I really need some girls for friends..." She groaned.

"...Here,Tea..."

Turning to her right,Tea realized that she had hardly noticed the presence of the midget king of games that had chosen the bench spot right beside her. He turned away bashfully with a hint of pink on his cheeks,but his closed fist reached out to her.

"What is it,Yugi?".When Tea offered her hand out to him,he dropped what appeared to be a small white spray bottle with big purple American letters on the label. Though smaller than Yugi's fist,it was heavy.

Tea wrapped her dainty fingers around its middle and examined the bottle further,then turned her gaze to Yugi.

"An American product? What's it for?"

That caught the now recovered Joey and Tristan's attention, as they were now peeking over Tea's shoulders to get a glimpse of the mysterious relic from over seas.

But that only made Yugi all the more nervous when his gaze lowered and he grew very fascinated with his new blue sports shoes with extra tred to make him appear taller then his actual height "Well...um..."

"Spit it out,Yuge!" "Yah,just tell us!" "No one likes waiting."

And finally, Yugi heeded their demands in one barely audible sentence.

"...He said it was bug repellant..."

And with that,Tea's eyes lit up,Tea let in a gasp,let out a squeal,and proceeded to wrap her arms around Yugi's neck. Yugi,being shock stricken and suffocated by Tea's shoulder,wasn't all that comfortable. But when Tea was happy,he was all the more joyful, even if he could hardly breath.

Embarrassed, Tea pulled back. "Thanks."Tea smiled "Your my hero,Yugi." Tea pulled a strand of chocolate brown hair behind her ear . The sun light framed her face just right as she wore that unique and angelic smile. Yugi couldn't help but stair. "No problem,Tea."

And once again,Yugi found himself in the arms of another,except not a gleeful embrace to show ones gratitude,more of a violent headlock to tease the life out of you. And the smell wasn't nearly as appealing.

"Sheesh,Yuge!"Joey said as he tightened his grip upon his little friend's neck"First you're the king of games and now you're Tea's hero? Since when were you a hit with the ladies?"

"Cut him some slack,Joey." Tristan joined in,patting his childhood friend on the back"Not everyone is as unpopular as we are".

If only the two of them looked to see how much Yugi paled.

Tristan was referring to the tragic events over the past half a year.

After much thought and consideration,Serenity had made her decision. Her heart belonged to the duke of devilintion. That's right,she confessed to Duke. As you can imagine,Tristan was very distraught over the unexpected turn of events,as was Joey,being her elder brother. But,neither could object because the way she looked at him showed that what she felt for him was genuine, as was what he felt for her. And plus,Tristan was a loser monkey boy with boring hair while Duke was a classy smart beast with money. You know what they say,"Every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man". She was better off with him and Tristan knew it,and Joey knew that person would make his sister happy. They said they were going on a vacation to America for a few months and didn't know exactlywhen they'd be back. Because sin abounds in Japan and this is a crappy fanfic,Two minors eloping was excusable. They rode off into the sunset to their happy ending,leaving domino city and what small and minor importance they served on this earth behind.

No one knew the real reason why Tristan gave up the love of his life to some wimpy copy cat. He never talked about it,his feelings,his concerns, his insight. On the outside,he seemed fine and content, but if he was fine,then why dif he make it a goal to close himself up completely? Why would he do it? What was he so afraid to show them what lay to wrot in a hardly recognizable pile of blood and dirt on the seemed to ware his smile every day like a mask,leaving everyone curious what stood behind it. But I don't know, maybe they were just being paranoid.

And again,to the misfortune of Joey Wheeler,Mai Valentine was also shot by cupid's arrow,but not in the way Joey had hoped. As it turned out,their love was never ment to be,so she ran into the loving embrace of a lover who Joey knew to be obnoxiously rich and successful. Yes,he thought it was Kaiba and threatened to end him but no,that was not her boyfriend. Seto Kaiba is incapable of love,no matter how busty the woman may be. Joey never knew or met this 'Lover' but was only informed of this after he had confessed his feelings to her. So yah,that ripped his heart right out of his chest. So she to rode off into the sunset. And with her left all the dignity and happiness in Joey's life. He was doing pretty bad for a few months there,but with the love and support of his friends,he got through. But on some days,he finds he can't sleep at night in fear he'll dream of her. Sometimes he sheds a few bitter tears at the memories of all that could have-No-That should have been his. Sometimes,the golden sunlight makes his heart just a little too heavy when he thinks of her face,but he gets by.

After he gave the small golden key a twist,the lock released with a faint pop like a bone popping out of joint.

"I'm home!"Yugi declared as his front door swung open,a pained whine creaked from the hinges when doing so.

Yugi took a few steps into his home since infancy. It always made him smile how unchanged this place was from back then till now. It comforted him to know that no matter what changed in his world or in him,this place would always be there for him. His eternal haven.

"Grandpa?" He called out into the shadows"Grandpa?". But only echos of his words called back.

No one was home. Yes,it seemed so. Yugi did recall his grandfather mentioning something about a funeral. A death of a friend's friend's friend's friend or something.

"Is that it?" Yugi said to himself. But then held his tongue. He was alone and wondering and pondering over it would accomplish nothing. He just had to learn to except his reality.

When he entered the living room, Yugi lay himself down on the tan three seated sofa that sat in front of the flat screen television as though it wished to flip through the number of meaningless channels to watch something it didn't even like. Heck,it even had the remote on it's arm.

He staired at the ceiling as he strapped one arm over his chest in hope to ease the ache that would soon come to claim his heart.

He was alone. So alone.

Its okay,though. Its alright. Its already been that way for the last six months or so.

Even if his friends were there as much as they could,just to see to it that he had a good time,Yugi still held a seed of loneliness left in the dark because he knew no one could take it away.

Yugi placed his free hand over his closed eyes as a wave of memories hit him like a never ending freight train. His breath was caught in his throat,leaving only voiceless words that seemed to break his heart all over again.

"That long,huh Pharoah?"

Yes,as hard as it may seem,Yugi hadn't moved on. Not in the least. In fact,it wouldn't be an overstatement for Yugi to declare himself bitter. This wasnt the Gleefull Yugi Mouto with the heart of gold and a childlike innocence. I'm afraid he died along with his counterpart. The teen,unknowingly was robbed of his childhood. It almost seemed like it was the thrill and excitment of the adventure that fueled his laughter. That's what caused him to grin like an idiot till his cheeks hurt,to cry like a baby till no tears were left. But,after it was all over,after the music faded away,what was left? You see,Yugi was rather popular now. He no longer lived in poverty because he had made a name for himself. He had riches,friends,dignity, a life he could only dream about in the the problem was that Yugi was a good kid,and as it is with most good kids,they don't ask for much. Only a home and love,if I'm not mistaken. Good kids will always do their best to work up to the expectations of others and will always keep their morals no matter how much praise they receive. But you only find kids like that in the homes of the poor and quiet families were people can find true happiness and may find satisfaction in life while the rich and the wealthy wither and choke in their own misery. Now please take this concept into consideration: Placing a good kid with hopes and dreams to achieve in the life of wealth. They are the children with every dream and every desire at their finger tips yet everything they truly want is beyond their reach. That's what Yugi was now,because he had traded possibly the best thing ever to happen to him for a miserable life just because he had some stupid desire to be the best. That made him no better than Kaiba. Just some spoiled rotten rich boy who couldn't even recognize a great life when he had it. A boy with ever single thing he did not desire.

You see,it all started when the poor Japanese boy,Yugi Mouto, received a golden box holding an ancient puzzle for his fourth birthday. With a busy grandfather,a deceased father,a dead uncle and a runaway mother,Yugi found that the voices that spoke to him from the box were his only friend. Yah,they told him to do some bad things,but at least they talked to him. Nothing too terrible, just a few thieveries of food so he could "Get big and strong". Mainly it just told him to complete the impossibly hard it promised Yugi a single wish if he succeeded,he did what ever his bottled genie asked. But,one day, when Yugi was not six,he was making his way to school. While he was crossing the street,his long time crush Tea gardener wasn't paying attention when a bus was coming her way,so before it hit her,he pushed her out of harm's way. That day,Yugi broke his hand but Tea was unharmed. Yugi had never seen his grandpa so worried as he lay in the hospital bed with his arm in a sling but what surprised him the most was after all the visitors left and Yugi was alone in the soft white bed. A ghostly figure,almost like a halogram appeared before him. Same hair,same eyes. He was almost Yugi's mirror image. Of all the people he saw today,the boy before him looked the most worried. "What's with you!?" He scolded mercilessly "You'll get yourself killed for being so reckless!" .Though he scolded Yugi's ears off,Yugi couldn't help but smile."What? What is it?". Yugi recognized his voice instantly"This is the first time I've ever seen you in person. You are my age and look just like me". Obviously his nameless friend from the mysterious incomplete puzzle disagreed, who he later realized had no name through long conversations that lasted hours. Even after the hospital,their conversations in private continued none the less. So far,Yugi made two new friends. The ghost who called himself Pharoah and Tea,the girl he saved. The years were spent fast and Yugi's best friend stood by him always. He made new friends,like the school bullies much to his surprise,Joey and Tristan. Frenemies like Kaiba and Weevil also came into his life,all thanks to the Pharoah. Bonds grew stronger,life got better. That was of course,in till Yugi met a class mate of his. Ryou Bakura. A seemingly normal boy. He was born in England but came here with his father to Japan inexplicably. He always smiled and said only the nicest things,but little did they know that Bakura held a secret. A second soul lay inside his body,a violent and bloodthirsty madman. Bakura told Yugi that it all started when he solved a riddle a voice that his golden ring told him."How is a raven like a writing desk?" it would say over and over. Then one day Bakura answered "Both hold an existence"." That's right mortal,just like you and I,but now that existence will be shared. You are now my vessel, Ryou Bakura". It was the right answer and ever since then,Bakura lived tirelessly as a slave to the lunatic's thirst for bloodshed. The promise of a wish was a lie. What Yugi and Bakura had in common was that both their items,the ring and the puzzle,were the same. That's when Yugi realized Pharoahs true intentions. He insisted that he complete the puzzle so that he could take control of Yugi's body to make him do who knows what. He felt betrayed when he realized what his puzzle friend really was but he hardly believed it. But all the Pharoah had to do to convince him that he wasn't like that was tell Yugi the truth. The whole truth. If he had completed the puzzle when he was four,he would have taken control of his body,but he had changed. Yugi had become very important to him,his best friend. The two of them had become like brothers,as inseparable as twins. Identical ones at that. He would give his own life for the boy,take a bullet for him and he hoped the feeling was mutual. He spoke of memories and the things he hoped would come in the future and how the thought of betraying him had not crossed his mind since the day he risked his life for that girl. Basically he really made Yugi regret throwing that piece of the puzzle into the river. It took a good week to find. Since that day,Yugi never lost trust in his closest friend.

He finished the puzzle when he was ten,against the Pharoah's will and let his spirit dwell inside his body. As it turned out,the two boys could trade places inside one physical body. All they had to do was take out a piece of the puzzle and they'd switch back. Neither were pushed away, so they both took Pharoah ate ice cream and cookies. Things a man from ancient Egypt could never dream of. At one point,he ran so fast and exhausted himself so bad he thought he'd never walk again. He said he couldn't remember the last time he had felt such pain in his legs,but then he began to laugh afterwards so Yugi assumed he enjoyed his day and laughed with him. Yugi and the Pharoah now shared a body much to the surprise of his friends. They were a bit stunned to find out their little friend had a puzzle that held the soul of an ancient Pharoah who now lurked inside his body,but they got used to it once they realized that the boy was quite sane. But what mostly made this blessed day significant was that Yugi Mouto had revealed to his bottled genie what his accursed wish was for all these years.

"To find happiness. To live a life not soiled with poverty and sadness".

Afterwards, the Pharoah promised to grant this wish to the absolute best of his abilities.

He kept that promise. That's what disgusted Yugi the most because it was only after he saw him walk away,to his eternal rest that Yugi realized what he had done.

It was almost commical. After their four year adventure had ended,they returned to Domino city and Yugi felt like he was going insane. This guilt was tarring at his insides and he had not the slightest clue why. He was sopposed to be happy. He got his wish and the Pharoah his peace. This was the happy ending,right? Wrong. IHe knew something was wrong when Tea began to look at him in that way,like he was more than a friend to her,but he only broke down from the inside out after he heard his friend Joey Wheeler call him those three words for the first time after the Pharoah moved on.

"King Of Game"

He almost wanted to slap Joey when he said it. Or himself. He finally realized just how little all this fame and all this fortune ment to him. He didn't want the money,he didn't want the attention. In time,he grew to despise that boy he was and the wish he made all those years ago. He had fans,his face on magazine covers and on the television screen all because of some stupid card game he was not even that good at. What was the meaning of this meaninglessness? Yugi was living some one else's life. He was the puzzle with the piece missing, losses somewhere under the skies that had turned a ghostly shade of blood red. He knew his life had gone terribly wrong. He knew he had gone terribly wrong. He looked in the mirror sometimes to see what had become of himself. His golden bangs grew longer,he had grown a good foot taller,his voice was deeper,his eyes less bright,more serious and grown up. When he saw,he had to look away immediately for he knew by just one glance of his new face what he was becoming. Day by day,he was transforming into him.

He was becoming the Pharoah himself.

"No!" He'd scream "This isn't right! This can't be happening! " What was he trying to do? Was he trying to replace the Pharoah himself? Absorb his every trait and personality? He didn't want that,he never wanted to be him,he wanted to be with him. He wanted to talk and laugh with him more,he wanted to be his friend more. Not this,anything but this.

And what would become of Atem? Would he simply disappear, vanish along with any memories of him? He did so much for Yugi,he didn't deserve that. He should have lived,and Yugi should never have been born. "Why didn't I just give up my body?" He'd say through rivers of tears"I'm so stupid! Why was I so selfish?! I should have let him live!"

That's why when Joey called him the king of games in the present,Yugi was overcome with disqust for himself, but the "hit with the ladies" comment had taken it one step too far. "I'll never replace him." Yugi thought as he remeniscensed at how he purposely answered a handful of questions on his homework falsely,hadn't fixed his hair this morning and pretended to forget about the math test last week,which he scored a B- on.

He couldn't allow himself to be great. Atem's place in the hearts of his friends would not be filled by Yugi.

He'd wish upon anything he thought had any kind of power,but unfortunately, they would never grant a wish to a naive child who killed his own friend just for fame. He had done this to himself,and there was no rewind button to fix this.

You really should be carful what you wish for.

That day on the couch,Yugi shed three tears. No more,no less.

One,for his shame,knowing how much Atem and his friends must hate him for what he had done.

Two,for his fear of himself,the abomination he had become,the form he had stolen.

Three,for his sadness,because he'd never find a better friend than his bottled genie.

Whispering gales and katydids. The symphony of the night.

A man with a face hidden stood outside of Yugi's bedroom window.

His lifeless eyes locked on Yugi as he lay in his bed,sound asleep but plagued with the most terrible nightmares.

Hour after hour,he did not avert his gaze,like a stone statue he stood his ground.

With a pale hand,he stroked the window pane lovingly,cursing the fact that it stood just as firmly as he and separated him from the helpless and vulnerable king of games.

His eyes feasted on the boy,thoughts of mad and twisted things seemed so beautiful to him right now.

The dawn cracked,setting fire to the horizon.

The man knew he had to take his leave before he was seen,but before he did,he dropped a parting gift on his window sill. Then he vanished.

The only traces of him ever existing a bloodied handprint paisted on Yugi's window like a sticker and a scrambled rubix cube acommpanied by a little crumpled note that read these words.

"I hear you are good at puzzles. Solve this and collect the price,king of games"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(A\N)No Yugioh characters were harmed in the making of this FanFiction.

Samantha Patrycks was an amateur writer,twelve years of age.

She said to her parents that she was just going as far as the river,and then she'd turn right back.

As soon as she arrived at the murky water's edge, she took a moment to gaze at her reflection.

On her knees,she studied every detail of her face.

Why,she was balder than her grandfather, the one who also died a year ago.

The dark circles under her eyes,her slick leathery skin Grey like stone.

As she looked into the reflection of her black eyes,she was overcome with hate for herself.

What an ugly duckling. What a stupid weepy child. What a brainless idiot.

Her face was twisted in anger and rage as she pulled close to her mirror image and hissed those three words.

"I hate you"

Her ragged breath made ripples at the waters surface,small but definitely there. But,how little those words effected anything. The one she spoke to didn't even look hurt. She mocked and mimicked her face. She was pokeing fun at her,showing her just how ugly she was now. That made her blood boil in her veins.

"I HATE YOU!" She roared as she slapped the water,hit it with her fists"I HATE YOU!".

Mokuba Kaiba awoke to the familiar buzz and beep of passing cars on the crowded streets of Domino City.

The hum of humanity, the seranade of civilization.

His stringy black locks hung damp over his face like a veil,but hardly blocked his drowsy vision.

His numbed back was propped up against a brick wall in a shady ally. His whole body may have ached uncontrollably, but he found his lack of strength held him down like rope binds.

He lazily tossed his head around to the source of the sound.

He saw the buildings but their signs and posters remained unreadable to him. He saw people passing by with faces faded and out of focus. He saw the automobiles with their many colors and variates, but couldn't separate the rainbow river into separate solid objects.

The morning sunlight only blinded him further, sending waves of pain to the spot behind his eyes with overpowering intensity. He groaned and shuffled backwards,his forearms used to gaurd his eyes like a shield. But,as his body began to turn away from the heated shine,Mokuba found that his lower half was much weaker than he first assumed for his spine gave out and he found himself falling forwards helplessly.

"Augghh!" He cried as he hit the concrete floor with a splat,much to his surprise.

Yes,through the agonizing shock his body was drenched in,he could distinctly feel water under his clammy palms.

A puddle. A big,cold and smelly puddle at that. The kind that makes your nerves throb.

Being the fact that he fell face first,he could taste the salty mixture of filthy liquid. It flowed bitterly through his teeth. It reeked of iron and feet.

With every breath,he got one step closer to choking on the icey liquid,but his mind had gone completly blank with absolutely no drive or energy to stop it from happaning .

He felt cold on this ninety degree day. A faint throbbing sensation had overtaken his flesh. His eyelids felt dry as they fluttered over his half blind eyes. His spine desired nothing more then to curl up like a centipede. Trembling overtook his body,running through his bones like an electric pulse. He neither wanted to be here nor anywhere else. All he wanted was to disappear into this cold concrete road and never return.

But he got up anyway. He pressed his palms firmly against the earth to gain a stable balance in his shaking knees. When he felt confident in the foundation he made for himself, he stood up,relying purely on his legs to carry him. He felt faint from this fever of dizziness that had overtaken him but he kept on going. But when he felt close to stumbling, he took hold of the brick walls beside him.

All this carried him away from the cold ally. If he hadn't been so strong,he could have called the space between the two buildings his eternal tomb. His body had no intention of getting out and wanted nothing more then to still like a portrait but his mind reminded him time and time again of the task at hand.

"I have...to tell Seto...I...ha...have to tell...Seto..."He whispered feebly over and over,like a broken record. But even if he was broken,his determination failed to fade.

You see, Mokuba had a test on world history today. One he aced thoroughly.

The boy was absolutely overjoyed. He had absolute confidence that his absolute lack in history skills would absolutely bring him down. But when he talked to Seto about this predicament, he had other ideas. Even though he blabbed for hours about how he had no time for weaklings and failures,Mokuba could tell he was trying to send a different message.

He was telling him not to give up just because it seemed hopeless. He should do his very best and push his limits and believe he had a chance at victory. You'll never know if you don't try,after all. Then maybe,just maybe he could do the impossible and get a passing grade on world history.

After that,Mokuba wasn't scared anymore.

Sometimes Seto could be the most ridiculous erashinal person in Japan,but every once and a while he could be a really awesome elder brother. The best in the world.

Even with that whole "King Of Games" fiasco, Mokuba learned to never give up and to try try again. Seriously, Seto came right back,every time, like a boomrang. It was weird.

Maybe he related to his situation. Maybe he reminded Seto of himself somehow and wanted nothing more than to help him.

That's at least what Mokuba chose to believe.

Either way,Mokuba needed to see Seto. He needed to thank. If it wasn't for his inspiring words,Mokuba would have failed the test and he would have been nothing but a weakling,like he had said the last time they talked. Maybe Seto would be proud.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

And with that,Mokuba's knees gave out from the sleep that claimed his exhausted self. He found his face colliding with the concrete once again but this time,he had no intention of getting up again. His last thought of his brother.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it home,Seto... I'm sorry."

There he fell into a deep slumber, the mundane melody of the city he called home as his lullaby to carry him far far away.

The gales blew stronger than usual on this humid Tuesday morning.

They staggered and scattered fallen leaves.

They whispered and whistled mistic melodies.

They chilled and stung the skin of the empty silhouette that hung plainly, suspended by invisible wires just a foot above the earth's surface.

The form was small like the body of a child. Its outline faded like monochrome watercolor brush strokes.

Barely visible. Almost as though it was made of tiny blue flames,faint almost dieing.

But as the fleeting moments passed by on this country landscape, the light of the mysterious body grew in intensity.

But the life of one is the death of another.

Pretty soon,the light was growing so bright that it seemed to swallow up it's surroundings. Turning the visible form everything out of existence with it's fire. The song of the gales was drowned out by a distinct humming like that of extremely unstable power. The ringing grew louder and louder.

Then Finaly,it stopped.

Like a electric shock,the power was snuffed out in an instant. It's surroundings unharmed and untouched and the gale's song uninterrupted. The light was gone.

What was left was a boy

The invisible wiring cut,he fell to the earth.

Noa Kaiba awoke to his rebirth.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:I Own Nothing

(A/N)No Yugioh characters were harmed in the making of this FanFiction. Enjoy chapter three and please keep in mind that I've never actually seen all of the Yugioh anime so if I got some facts wrong,than I'm truly sorry. I'm making this FanFiction in hopes to better myself with experience as a writer so if you have something cruel to say,please understand that its just a FanFiction but criticism is still you for reading my work.

Samantha Patrycks was an amateur writer, twelve years of age.

Samantha dug her nails deep into her scalp in irritation. She chomped down on her bottom lip over and over till the skin felt raw.

"I said NO,Clay!"

Said boy Clay,who was repeatedly kicking the kneeling girl only grunted in response as he gave her another swift blow to her lower back,causing her to tumble forward.

Clay Patrycks was her stepbrother. The kind who picks on you to no end and hits you for no reason at all. It wasn't that she didn't like him. Actually, she quite admired him,but she knew full well that he had both poor feelings toward her and was extremely dangerous. Plus she was defenseless and vulnerable in the one place she knew no one would ever look for a dead person.

An old grave yard.

She knew him more than capable of killing a skinny girl more that three years his junior and as she tumbled on all four from his most recent series of assaults,she felt closer and closer to that state.

The rain was falling heavy today,with every drop making her skin tingle and her new bruises throb. Her mind was clouded,lacking anything intelligent to say. It was nice,this void of hate and joy.

"I just...Wanted...To see her..."Her thoughts were so vague that even she could hardly hear them.

"Its your fault!" He hissed coldly between clenched teeth"Its your fault she's dead! You don't have the right to go to her grave! You don't have the right to live!"

What Clay was trying to do was convince her of this Tabitha's death was all her doing. Well,he was implying that she very indirectly murdered her. That she was the one who drug her own sister to such dark depths.

It wasn't aslo she knew what was happening. She neither knew nor ment nor wanted this to happen.

...

Seto Kaiba was never one to stop and smell the roses. He was a busy and professional workaholic. A man who had completely rid himself of any childish behavior or needs. Well,except for his ghastly desire to be the best. Either way, the word "fun" was not in his dictionary.

He didn't fool around,he didn't dilly dally.

So tell me,why was it that on this Tuesday morning Seto Kaiba, the big bad CEO of Kaiba Corp, could not seem to tear his attention away from this single person?

A man,mid twenties. His hair was auborn brown,short with two tentacle like strands sticking out crookedly from either sides of his head. His eyes were a bright and hideous green,like a mold or a virus. He did have sort of this sick liveliness to him. Just the way his whole face-No,his whole being seemed to light up with child-like laughter made Seto's stomach turn. He was clearly just some no good punk,a goth freak with drug issues. That would explain the emo make up and the tattoos under the eyes. Dark green upside down triangles, like those you'd see on a clown.

He was remarkably thin,but well built. He had to give the man that much. Seto had high faith he could take the strange man in a fight. He seemed giddy and unfocused. The exact opposite of himself.

His clothing was especially peculiar. As was expected for a hot day,he wore a white tank top a few sizes too big. His shorts were green,the same shade as his eyes and ended just above his knees. He wore a pair of silvery leather gloves with foreign bangles and for footware,he chose a pair of high heeled sandals. Seto didn't even know those existed.

But why,you ask,is Seto Kaiba checking out some random bystander? The big bad CEO of Kaiba corp? Why oh why?

I'll tell you why. This certain mysterious stranger had something. A familiar item around his neck.

A duel monster card locket.

I know what your thinking. Probably just a store bought item,he and his younger brother couldn't be the only ones to acquire such an item. Such doubt also crossed Seto's mind. But he was fully convinced by further observations. The man also had Mokuba's watch,Mokuba's hat,Mokuba's keychain, Mokuba's socks and Mokuba's cellphone. He only knew this because he watched him open a baggie of his and carefully arrange every item on his lap and then put it all back it the bag. He knew full well that he was being played with and pulled around like some marionette but his anger caused him not to care.

When he first noticed it,the breath was stolen right out of his throat. It took all his self control to keep himself from striking this loser in the face,but this was a public place. A bus,actually.

"I sware," He'd think to himself"If he hurt Mokuba,I'll...".

His reasons for riding a bus were simple. Someone bombed his every limo. Because they had been mere stink bombs,he assumed it was Wheeler or some other form of stupid. He'd prefer not to get into anymore detail. Anyways,he couldn't assault someone here. He couldn't wrap his hands around his neck and force him to tell him exactly where he found the little item and his younger brother's location.

Not here. He had to wait.

...

The mysterious young man known as TOK knew his new human friend noticed. Seto Kaiba, the kid who sat right across from him on this bizarre metal mode of transportation clearly had his vision glued to the locket around his neck. He could taste his ragefull aura,it polluted the air like a gas. He almost felt sorry for this wealthy fool,how he gullibly fell into this trap with such ease. Almost like a ballerina.

How emasculating.

"SAI always seems to have the greatest tricks up her sleeve," He thought dreamily, his head in the clouds.

Ah yes,his merciless supervisor. She was witty,great with strategic planning. She was never reckless and always kept her human weaknesses in mind. Much the opposite of himself. TOK was impatient. He hated waiting even more than he hated his ultra nemesis, Broccoli. Careful planning and silent movements were never his thing. In an RPG he'd be a berserker, not an assassin. He preferred facing his enemies head on. He certainly possessed the strength to bring all who opposed him to their knees,but SAI always scolded him saying that if he somehow got himself killed or deeply humiliated,the master would be deeply enraged and both their jobs would become much more difficult. Sometimes she could be like the mother he never had,and that's partially why he despised her so. He hated it when she withheld from him his desires,but he hated broccoli more.

As SAI commanded,he did everything in his power to make that duel monster locket the center of Kaiba's attention. She said it was special to the Kaiba brothers and would provoke Seto the most,but TOK could hardly imagine why. He twirled the chain around his fingers like one would with a long strand of hair. He'd swung it back and forth like a hypnotist and made a noose out of the chain as he pretended to hang himself and he chuckled childishly. He'd stare deep into the eyes of the little brown haired boy's photo in the locket. Though much of his appearance had changed through the passage of the years,his eyes were still the same. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul so TOK didn't need to know Seto Kaiba to know what kind of man he was. He was a fake. He didn't have to speak for TOK to know what kind of tongue the boy spoke in. He was a liar and he spoke only in fallacy and hypocrisy.

He hated this boy already. He loathed how such a vile and selfish existence prospered. He had money,friends and power. TOK justified his actions by this strong judgment he bestowed upon this teen. He deserved this bloodshed,this harsh punishment.

He didn't deserve that brother of his.

Even if the event had only taken place a good thirty minutes prior to the now,it felt like an eternity had passed away. He felt very strange since what he had done to that boy,almost different. That feeling after you drank too much sparkling grape juice too fast or after you had too large of a candy corn intake. Such feelings caused TOK to reminiscence on said time as though it was yesterday, a lifetime ago.

The boy. SAI referred to him as Mokuba Kaiba a few times. He was on his way back to his monstrously large metal hut,frolicking without a care in the world. TOK and SAI had trailed him since the entrance of his school. They were uninformed about his physical appearance or his exact location so finding the boy had been quite difficult. He had to beat it out of some blondie but he didn't take her life. He just purged her memory of all the pain and suffering he caused her. When they found a reasonable opportunity for their move,he had already been half way to his hut. TOK felt nothing as he pulled the boy into the alley with a swift grab of his hair. He felt not even the slightest bit of guilt as he grabbed him by his neck and plunged that syringe of black liquid into his artery but after that,it was different. He and his supervisor had done this so many times. They'd pull their unsuspecting victims into their clutches,give them that mystery injection and flee the scene. That was it. It was done. Nobody lived through the mysterious injection. Nobody.

But this one time,TOK didn't enjoy himself. He didn't pass out immediately after the drug was given like everyone else. He sobbed and squirmed around as he attempted to regain his footing but it was no use and TOK knew it. His body,all his muscles had gone quite numb. Even his tongue was effected so his cries for help came out as mere slurred whimpers. At that moment,TOK realized why they never sat and watched the effects of the drug. It was never fun to watch. It was never that game TOK enjoyed so much. He only realized this when the boy began crying for someone. Someone who wasn't there to save him.

"Se... Seto...help me...Please help...Seto..."

He felt really gross,like he was sick with the flu or something. Even the thought of food made his stomach turn but he knew he hadn't eaten anything bad. Its just,Mokuba looked so happy before this and now that his face was pale and twisted with agony, TOK realized that he wanted nothing more than for him to smile again. To laugh,to look happy and genuinely gleeful again like he did three seconds ago. Something about this felt really bad even though he was just following orders. Why should he feel bad if he only did what he was told?

"...I'm Sorry..."

If he hadn't recognized his own voice than he would have thought the words belonged to someone else. He had not the slightest clue what those words ment or why he was thrown to say them but it just felt right at the time.

As SAI had said before,feelings and emotions are fleeting and meaningless. TOK knew this pain had to ware off so he pretended to be himself that day and not to toot his own horn or anything but he thought he did a pretty fine job of it.

The stink bombs were TOK's idea to keep Seto Kaiba out of his limos. Being the master of the human brain he was,his idea succeeded and he took the fat metal transportation. But of course, SAI made a deal that if they did his "Immature" ideas this once,he had to do what ever she asked no matter how hard without complaining. And of course,being the bait was his penalty.

...

And with the sound of the air brakes,the metal transportation TOK's surroundings referred to as a "Bus" came to an abrupt stop.

He was not afraid to admit that he was quite startled. His whole body was thrown up against his seat with a rather uncomfortable and awkward thud. He could tell more than just the eyes of the pompous rich jerk were on him now.

He,being the one who made the scene,was the first to leave. As he took three shaky steps down the steep staircase that led out of the stomach of the bus he couldn't help but wonder if anyone had ever died on their way out of a bus. Being that the steps were only half a foot wide and a foot tall,they had to have been a danger to someone.

And as soon as he left,a pack of humans exited the bus behind him. All of whom should have left and gone thier own separate ways and forgotten the fact they ever saw his face,live their lives while they still could.

All did except for one.

Seto Kaiba tailed him close. That is the first mistake most unprofessional souls commit when at their first attempt at following someone. They hide under no disguise, leaving them open and obvious but TOK had the feeling Seto had no intention of hiding. He was a man of vengeance after all.

Every once and a while,he'd look over his shoulder and pretend like he didn't know for a fact that he was being followed and that he was feeling watched. And of course to hide the fact that he was in fact the follower,Seto would place the window shopping card in defense mode and would turn to face the nearest store. Seriously, he did this like three times. Apparently, he wants some sort of high healed shoes,axes for lumber and the newest volumes of the "Yugioh Zexal" Manga. Actually, come to think of it,who wouldn't want those things? TOK knew what he was gonna be doing later today.

He could tell Seto Kaiba was the reckless and stupid type. Judgeing by the fact that he followed the murderer of his brother,unarmed with no body gaurds,into the dark part of town with probably no plan in mind.

"Sheesh,I think he's just as big of a fool as that Yugi fellow." TOK scowled to himself and judged him further. He,of course stopped afterwards, knowing that he wouldn't want SAI to catch him judging someone. That's another subject she commonly scolded him on. She could always tell when ever he did something wrong out of spite. Plus,he had to be a really good boy if he wanted those things at the stores.

And just as expected,TOK felt a hand grip the back of his shirt. Soon after,he found himself thrown up against a brick wall with a seemingly jagged surface. But alas,the hateful strike proved futile. His body sustained no injury, nor was his skin stained with blood. It took many dangerous experiences and life threatening scenarios to come to that shocking conclusion, but SAI and he found that thier falacy existences were utterly imuned to physical pain and injuries. The blade of the knife seemed to glide over his skin,almost also it held no more of a presence than the stupid holographic monsters from that childish card game Seto Kaiba loved so much and the sword was much less than a light breeze. Surprisingly, Sickness never came either.

TOK's focus withered like a dead rose to the point were his instincts had full control. Of course,he still kept SAI's beloved plan in mind.

Much to TOK's surprise, he couldn't push himself to the sitting position he desired,leaving him with his face pressed firmly against the concrete floor. This was do to the fact that Seto Kaiba had his foot pressed firmly against TOK's head. The fellow was strong,TOK had to give him that but he had full confidence that he could take the young CEO in a fight. Soon after,Seto stomped down as hard as he could. TOK's jaw came crashing against the ground causing a shiver to go threw his bones.

Overall,Seto's attempts to scare him only filled him with a sense of pride or dignity for himself. But once again,he mentally scolded himself. He had to be a good boy if he was to satisfy his inner greed.

"Now," Seto declared monotone as he pressed his foot down forcefully as though transforming his rage into pure strength,but a real shame he couldn't use all that hate to spawn a little wit instead. If he had,he really wouldn't be in this pickle he made for himself. "I'm going to make this plain and simple,punk".

But of course,he was interrupted by the soothing jiburish coming from TOK's forcefully puckered lips and Seto proceeded to glare at him aslo he was the dirt underneath his shoe. Well,because he technically was.

That's when Seto came to the harsh realization that this man was obnoxious. So he picked up his foot,leaving a mucky residue shoe print on TOK's face,and lowered it to the crook underneath the man's jawline and pressed down as hard as he could. Do to his lack of oxygen and his need to play things up,TOK began to choke.

"As I was saying,Freak," As he said these words,TOK laughed inwardly at how bad this teen was at insults. Seriously, this was like profanity of ten year olds."I'd like to ask you a few questions!"

"I'm all ears,man!" TOK said raspingly ,slightly giving away how much he was playing this up. He didn't sqirm. No,he listened patiently to what he had to say.

"That locket." Again,with the monotonous tone"Where did you get it?!"

"Loo-!Look man! I ain't got a clue what you mean!" Oh,American slang in a delicious combination of a shrill cough and a accent resembling that of a marshin by the name of Marvin. The perfect weapon against the overly serious businessman.

"Don't you lie to me!" He said as he further squeezed the tubes in his throat"I saw you! You had the locket around your neck! You had his watch and his socks,to! You stole them from him! Now tell me were he is now or I will end you-!"

To the shock of Seto Kaiba,his foot came crashing down to the concrete, sending shocks up his leg as though it had been struck by an iron pole. The shock scrambled his thoughts and set his mind awry. Just this once,the CEO of Kaiba corp lost his composure and wasn't quite sure how to find it again.

...

He disappeared. Were did that freak go? He vanished without a trace.

No one could have sqirmed away so fast and Seto would gave noticed if his foot slipped. He looked around. He was alone in a dark space between a drug store and a small time cafe.

No one was here. No one was there. No one was anywhere. Only him.

_"Has to be an explanation... "_

This was unnatural. Something Seto's stubborn mind would not and could not comprehend.

He had heard about fairy tales and strange accurences from so many losers he could hardly tell them apart anymore. They were all the same,blindly believing and deceiving themselves over every aspect in life they could hunt out but could not understand. They were fools. Every last one of them and Seto dismissed them as such.

But it was different now. His mind couldn't explain what just happened. Illogicalities didn't and couldn't exist,right? But he was too stubborn to acknowledge that this was a supernatural happening. But logic was fading fast as was Seto's hope in reality.

Seto's breath shortened as he began to doubt his own sanity. Was he,that man in green,even here? Was he dreaming? Did he fall asleep on the bus?

_"Can't be real..."_

Highly likely. Mokuba was probably safe and sound,in the comfort of his bed were no one could hurt him. No one would hurt him. Seto would make sure of that.

_"But I hurt him first..."_

Why was he feeling this way?

_"Can't...Breath..."_

The darkness was getting to him. He felt sick...Hurt...Angry...Trapped...

_"Everythings...Spinning..."_

Were was Mokuba?

_"Where is...My brother..."_

He felt helpless and lost. He had forgotten this feeling and was panic stricken as it tore at his heavily beating heart.

_"Help...Make it...Stop..."_

He had to get out of this ally. He fought off the dizziness and got to his feet as they carried him out as fast as they could. He nearly lost his footing and fell down,but quickly regained his balance and pushed forward. The black was clawing at his body,threatening to swallow him up.

_"Mokuba...Plea...Please help...Mokuba!"_

...

Alas,Seto Kaiba finally made his way out. Strangers chattered and passing cars rattled but Seto didn't care. He was back in the reality he knew,were all things operate by the rules of nature. Plain and simple. Nothing out of the ordinary. Of course,he had to remember that the sun of the summer day acted like a spotlight to Seto's awful compusure. You'd never catch him like this on any other day so he made sure to straighten his hair and suit before showing himself to the public eye. Once he was presentable and decent,he began to go with the flow of people down the sidewalk just to calm his nerves,breathing a silent sigh of relief that that was over.

Though part of him still needed to see Mokuba to truly calm himself.

He'd call him after this walk and he'd answer his phone to remind Seto that he was alright and that he wasn't going anywhere like always.

Seto believed without a doubt that he was alright,so there was no rush,right?

Wrong.

Though all have beliefs only reality is the truth. The truth all must succumb to, no matter how harsh.

Redundant songbirds and hypnotic blazes of blue and red.

Such was what the CEO of Kaiba corp heard and saw that day.

Cop cars of all things. Three of them packed up against the side walk. An ambulance had its fat self trapped on a street corner because all the likely crime scene space had been taken up by it's three slimmer friends.

"A crime scene,huh?" Seto thought to himself. "Someone must have gotten hit for being careless on the road.".

Men with flashing cameras pressed tightly against thier faces swarmed the small space like hungry vultures. It was a very small area so he rightfully assumed the worst. Mortified women young and old shuffled around that area,pointing and crying on thier boyfriends and husbands. It must a have been a young child or a disembodied limb. He couldn't imagine anything else getting people so worked up.

As usual,Seto didn't care. It obviously was tragic but neither he nor they could do anything to bring them back. Nothing.

Something small and round broke Seto's concentration, reflecting the sunlight and shone bright at Seto's feet. So bright that he couldn't ignore it. On reflex,he looked down.

To his surprise,a dark magician keychain lay limply just a few inches beyond Seto's shoes barely visible beyond the human feet that scattered it about. The keychain that belonged to the only person who ever believed in him.

But just as the little familiar object did nothing but attract the attention of the little observant CEO,the presence he sensed before him did no less.

"He" stood right thier just a few yards away from him like a ghost from the stories as Seto felt an overwhelming rage fill him"Who...Who are you!" Seto screamed,but to no avail. He gained no reaction from this madman. He just stood,staring at him with ever watchful eyes that laughed at his expense.

Sometime in the middle of this,he unknowingly realized something. That this was much more mysterious than the mournful voices of sirens carried in the wind. Much more vile than an infant bird yet to take flight,falling from it's nest and devoured by earthly predators. Much more powerful than he ever was. The man in green stood in the middle of a clashing flow of people,a rapid of human lives and every single one pasted straight through the man's skeletonlike figure. No one saw him because he wasn't even there.

The man in green's expression was solemn and disgusted. He wasn't laughing. His eyes were focused and observant. Most of all, they were victorious. He stood straight like something out of a nightmare. He had changed out of his tank top to something twice as sinister. A deep green vest with some punkish Dracula collar,same color as his eyes that mocked Seto's every move and thought. Any residue from Seto's attack in the alley way had disappeared . If he didn't know better,he'd say it was a different person entirely.

No more fun and games. This was all too real.

Seto didn't think. Acting on instinct, he leaned down just enough to pick up the dormant keychain and returned his gaze to the man.

The man turned his back on him but after proceeding forward a yard,another item dropped from his closed fist. Once it hit the ground He stopped another two yards away and dropping another item. Somehow,Seto saw through the bodies of passing busybodies and every item dropped acted like a lighthouse to a lost ship like himself,guiding him to the shores of reality. Every time he picked up the discarded object,he looked up to see that the man had dropped another item. Every item of broken dreams filled with unfamiliar memories and pain he never felt,like a trail of bread crumbs leading him back to the real world.

Seto had given up fighting him. In shame,he practically gave up thinking,all together. Somehow he knew this was a game that he lost. His ultimate failure and grave mistake. None of his other defeats could measure up to this. With every familiar item acquired,Seto could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into his own guilt and grief. Like a one way street to hell,he knew exactly what lay at the end of it.

A goofy looking baseball cap. Blue and purple. A belonging of the only person Seto ever let his gaurd down for.

_"He refused to ware it at first,but than it grew on him..."_

A baby blue scapegoat watch with a small clock in its side. This was a birthday present for the one who'd read into every word he said to find it's true meaning and understood him,even when others didn't.

_"He was smiling that day..."_

A pair of black socks owned by the one who stood by him always no matter how big of a jerk he was.

_"He only got these last week..."_

A cellphone treasured by the one friend Seto had but never deserved and always took for granted.

_"He felt so cool with this and called me persistently..."._

All of these made him weak in the knees,knowing what this trail of clues led to.

_"It-! It can't be...!"_

So close.

Only a few steps away from the flashing of the camera's lens and the whining of the police vehicles.

The mourning of the flaky woman and the immanent breaking of a once strong heart of stone.

His feet wouldn't stop taking every individual shaken step like the ground underneath him was ice ready to crumble. He didn't know what lay underneath this thin shell of ice he called a solidity,but he was overcome with evident dread at the thought of it ever being stolen from him.

He wanted to close his eyes. He wanted to hide. He wanted to run away.

No,he would have given anything to turn back time.

Because he knew full well that things would never be the same. When he saw that man in virus green with a closed fist over the small crimescene,he knew it was over.

Seto stopped in his tracks.

"I hate you..." He hissed like a serphant,his face twisted into a malicious grimace,pained yet hateful"You...You should have been there for him...He cried for you and you weren't there to help him...It's all your fault...You should have saved him...From me...".

Seto would remember those words for the rest of his life. Whether in his dreams or wake,he'd always remember because on that very moment that monster released the locket he held so tightly,letting it fall to the scene of horror bellow.

Were the woman came to gawk and the cameramen came to snap photos. Were the three police cars came to investigate and the ambulance to take away. That's were the locket fell.

It fell,returned to its master. The only family Seto Kaiba ever knew or cared about.

His brother,Mokuba.

...

As fate would have it,Yugi had been sent home from school,being suddenly and unexpectedly struck by a cold. Before he left,he reminded his worried friends that it was nothing more than the common cold that everyone gets from time to time. Though they let him go home alone,thier worries were no more then temporarily silenced.

As the young king of games made himself comfortable in his bed,he got to work on what he thought was an early birthday present from his loving grandfather.

A scrambled rubix cube he discovered on his window sill. The note was shady,but he thought nothing of it and do to his fever,he cared not for the sunlight and preferred that the blinds were closed.

He gave the cube all his attention as he twisted and turned its fronts and sides.

He was a master of puzzles even if he had a cold so after awhile,it seemed to come together,bit by bit.

Twenty minutes or so later,Yugi declared in a horse voice"Alright! I finished it! He he!".

But he was struck by a sudden confusion. On the red face,there was something written in a black sharpie marker.

"Mokuba Kaiba will die at 2:30 pm June 1st"

Surprisingly, it was 3:09 pm. The first of June.

What a coincidence.


End file.
